Manifold pressure regulator for super charged internal combustion engines



9.5:. m B N E mum m w m mm 3 I w 3 w. W A M 3 PW 2 r. 3 uzGzm M OPv L.1. m RJ m w m B umswmuzm OEMIQMOFE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES FiledFeb. 20, 1961 wJhhOmIh ZwlO ll R. J. POWELL ETAL MANIFOLD PRESSUREREGULATOR FOR SUPERCHARGED mm Om mdE May 19, 1964 United States Patent 3133 555 MANIFOLD PREssURi: RnGULAroR FoR SUPER CHARGED HNTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGTNES Robert J. Powell and James E. Champion, Muskegon,Mich., assignors to Continental Motors Corporation, Muskegon, Mich, acorporation of Virginia Filed Feb. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 90,316 5 Claims.(Cl. 137-4895) Our invention relates to controls for internal combustionengines and more particularly to an automatic manifold pressureregulator for supercharged aircraft engines such as are used in targetdrones and the like.

In the development of control systems for internal combustion engines,we have aimed toward standards of simplicity without sacrificingefficiency. In pilotless aircraft, requiring automatic controls, manydifiiculties are encountered, since conventional automatic systems aregenerally rather complex, hence expensive to manufacture.

In order to achieve substantial constancy of engine operation, it isgenerally necessary only to maintain uni form manifold pressure, and thepresent simplified device is intended to do this through variablyrelating throttle position to manifold and atmospheric pressures.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate engine control byproviding a simplified device for controlling throttle position.

Another object of the invention is to adapt engines to pilotlessaircraft by providing a means for maintaining manifold pressuresubstantially constant.

A further object of the invention is to obtain automatic control ofengine operation by providing a means of automatically varying throttleposition to obtain substantially uniform manifold pressure duringvariable oper ating conditions.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention in which like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views, and in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic viewof an air induction system used in a supercharged internal combustionengine.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional View of the air throttlecontrol shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, a portion of a preferred air induction system for an internalcombustion engine is illustrated as comprising an air intake 10, athrottle valve 11, a supercharger 12, a supercharged air manifoldinduction means 13, having the throttle valve 11 therein, such thatmanifold pressure at all times exceeds atmospheric pressure in themanifold 13.

A throttle valve control device 14, having an actuating piston rod 15,is mounted in any suitable fashion so that the piston rod 15 may operatethe throttle valve by some means such as through a bellcrank 16 pivotedat 16A, a link 17, and a lever 18 connected to the throttle valve 11which is pivoted at 11A. Extension of the piston rod 15 acts to open thethrottle valve 17, while retraction acts to close it.

The control device 14, as shown in FIG. 2, preferably comprises acylindrical two-part housing 20 having a mounting bracket 21 securedthereto, and an inner wall 22 secured intermediate the ends 23 and 24,dividing the interior into a manifold pressure chamber 25 and a controlchamber 26 which is further divided by means of a piston 27 into aregulating pressure compartment 26A and an atmospheric pressurecompartment 26B.

The chamber 25 is openly connected, by any means such as a conduit 28 tothe manifold 13 downstream of the throttle valve 11, transmittingmanifold pressure into the chamber 25 and through a variable meteringvalve 29 into the regulating pressure compartment 26A.

The compartment 26B is openly connected, through a port 30 or the like,to the atmosphere. A spring 31 or other suitable means, in thecompartment 26B, biases the piston 27 toward the wall 22, but forpractical purposes the piston can be considered as tending to maintain aposition of balance determined by the differential between the pressuresin compartments 26A and 26B; that is, manifold and atmosphericpressures.

Changes in position due to variations of pressure differential aretransmitted through the piston rod 15, to which the piston 27 issecured, to the throttle valve 11.

Although during engine operation the valve 29 will normally be open tosome degree, when it does close, the pressure in compartment 26A mayleak out through passages 31 and 32 provided in the piston rod 15.

In order to control the admission of manifold pressure into thecompartment 26A so that the piston 27 may attain a position of balance,the valve 29 is made variable with respect to variations of manifoldpressure.

A sealed spring loaded bellows 35 is provided in the chamber 25, one endbeing mounted on a stud 36 carried by the housing end wall 24 andthreaded to provide axial adjustment of the bellows 35. The valve 29 iscylindrical metering pin as shown, having an axial passage 37 openlyconnected by a transverse passage 38 with the chamber 25 and by a secondtransverse passage 39 with an annular groove 40, the valve 29 fittingthrough a bore 41 in the wall 22.

The end of the valve 29 has a tapered end 42. As manifold pressure inthe chamber 25 varies, the bellows 35 collapses and expands to move thevalve 29 axially in the bore 41, variably admitting manifold pressure tothe compartment 26A past the end 42.

Thus, when manifold pressure decreases, the bellows 35 expands,actuating the valve 29 toward the open position, admitting manifoldpressure to the compartment 26A. This pressure, in the superchargedengine, being higher than the atmospheric pressure in the compartment26B, the piston 27 moves to the right, extending the piston rod which,as previously described, opens the throttle. Manifold pressure thenincreases and the bellows 35 will collapse, actuating the valve 29toward the closed position, restricting admission of manifold pressureinto the compartment 26A. The piston 27 will thus automatically seekthat position of balance previously described at which the differentialbetween manifold pressure and atmospheric pressure plus spring pressure,in compartments 26A and 26B respectively, is zero.

This position of balance may be adjusted by turning the threaded stud 36to vary the neutral position of the valve 29, which will providecalibration of the control device 14 to any desired manifold pressureconsistent with optimum engine performance.

Although we have described only one preferred embodiment of ourinvention, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which theinvention pertains that various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scopeof the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A manifold pressure regulator for supercharged internal combustionengines, comprising air manifold induction means having a throttle valvetherein, a supercharger upstream of said throttle valve, and a throttlevalve control mechanism having a manifold pressure chamber openlyconnected to said air induction means downstream of said throttle valve,a first sealed bellows in said manifold pressure chamber, a secondchamber having a pressure responsive element therein separating saidsecond chamber into a first and a second compartment, a valve axiallyslidably carried intermediate said manifold pressure chamber and saidfirst compartment and operatively connected with said bellows to opencommunication between said manifold pressure chamber and said firstcompartment when the manifold pressure sensed by said bellows is below apredetermined absolute value and to close communication between saidmanifold pressure chamber and said first compartment when the manifoldpressure sensed by said bellows is above said predetermined absolutevalue, the second compartment being openly connected with atmosphere,said pressure responsive element being operatively connected with saidthrottle valve and adopting a position of balance determined by thedifferential between atmospheric pressure in said second compartment andmanifold pressure in said first compartment as admitted through thevalve from said manifold pressure chamber, whereby said throttle valvecontrol mechanism tends to actuate said throttle valve on changing ofmanifold pressure and atmospheric pressure to automatically maintainmanifold pressure at a substantially constant value.

2. A manifold pressure regulator for internal combustion enginescomprising air manifold induction means having a throttle valve therein,a supercharger upstream of said throttle valve and a throttle valvecontrol mechanism comprising a housing having a first and a secondchamber separated by a fixed wall, a valve means axially slidablycarried in said wall selectively openly connecting said chambers, meansopenly connecting the first chamber with said manifold induction meansdownstream of said throttle valve, a sealed bellows carried in the firstchamber and operatively connected with said valve means to variably opencommunication between said first chamber and said second chamber whenmanifold pressure as sensed by said bellows varies below a predeterminedabsolute value and to close communication between said chambers Whenmanifold pressure increases to said predetermined absolute value, asecond pressure responsive means in said second chamber and operativelyconnected with said throttle valve to actuate same as metered manifoldpressure in said chamber varies.

3. The manifold pressure regulator as defined in claim 2 and in whichsaid second pressure responsive means comprises a piston axiallyslidable in the second chamber, the end of said second chamber axiallyopposite from said wall being openly connected with atmosphericpressure, said piston arranged to seek a position of balance determinedby pressure differential between metered manifold pressure andatmospheric pressure, said piston being connected to said throttle valveto actuate same as the differential between metered manifold pressureand atmospheric pressure varies.

4. The manifold pressure regulator as defined in claim 3 and in whichsaid bellows is fixed at one end to said housing, said wall having anaxial passage, and said valve means comprising a metering pin carried bythe other end of said bellows and extended into said passage, saidmetering pin being operable to variably open communication between saidchambers through said passage as said bellows expands and collapses dueto variations in manifold pressure below a predetermined absolute valueand to close communication between said chambers when said bellowscollapses in response to manifold pressure increasing to saidpredetermined absolute value.

5. The manifold pressure regulator as defined in claim 4 and includingmeans axially adjusting the position of said bellows with respect tosaid passage whereby the absolute value of manifold pressure which willproduce a closing of communication between said chambers may beselectively Varied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS723,118 Zindel Mar. 17, 1903 2,343,718 Udale Mar. 7, 1944 2,381,358Marshall Aug. 7, 1945 2,542,839 Reggio Feb. 20, 1951 2,582,626 EscherJan. 15, 1952 2,878,797 Madden Mar. 24, 1959 2,922,431 Jensen Jan. 26,1960 3,020,925 Randall et a1. Feb. 13, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 914,390France June 17, 1946

1. A MANIFOLD PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR SUPERCHARGED INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES, COMPRISING AIR MANIFOLD INDUCTION MEANS HAVING A THROTTLE VALVETHEREIN, A SUPERCHARGER UPSTREAM OF SAID THROTTLE VALVE, AND A THROTTLEVALVE CONTROL MECHANISM HAVING A MANIFOLD PRESSURE CHAMBER OPENLYCONNECTED TO SAID AIR INDUCTION MEANS DOWNSTREAM OF SAID THROTTLE VALVE,A FIRST SEALED BELLOWS IN SAID MANIFOLD PRESSURE CHAMBER, A SECONDCHAMBER HAVING A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE ELEMENT THEREIN SEPARATING SAIDSECOND CHAMBER INTO A FIRST AND A SECOND COMPARTMENT, A VALVE AXIALLYSLIDABLY CARRIED INTERMEDIATE SAID MANIFOLD PRESSURE CHAMBER AND SAIDFIRST COMPARTMENT AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID BELLOWS TO OPENCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID MANIFOLD PRESSURE CHAMBER AND SAID FIRSTCOMPARTMENT WHEN THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE SENSED BY SAID BELLOWS IS BELOW APREDETERMINED ABSOLUTE VALUE AND TO CLOSE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAIDMANIFOLD PRESSURE CHAMBER AND SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT WHEN THE MANIFOLDPRESSURE SENSED BY SAID BELLOWS IS ABOVE SAID PREDETERMINED ABSOLUTEVALUE, THE SECOND COMPARTMENT BEING